Manufacturing in the U.S remains an important source of both employment and economic activity. In recent years, the sector has actually expanded rapidly. The U.S. Manufacturing PMI from Markit Economics showed an all-time high reading of 57.4 in August 2014 (), and so far the index has been in the black through the first nine months of 2016.
The revitalization of American manufacturing has coincided with renewed investment in related technologies, such as enterprise resource planning systems. ERP is the backbone of effective manufacturing because it:
- Consolidates information: ERP connects critical operations with financials, providing a single, real-time data source that keeps tabs of your operations and helps you make truly informed decisions.
- Provides automation: Instead of saddling you with cumbersome and disconnected manual processes, an ERP platform automates your essential tasks and streamlines your processes all the way from the warehouse to the back office.
- Integrates applications: ERP solutions are the digital infrastructures that connect a diverse range of programs for inventory management, time tracking, customer relationship management and more.
As a manufacturer, your ERP system is fundamental to keep operations efficient. But is your current platform positioned to help you continuously improve, innovate, and keep up with the modern challenges of manufacturing?
Why switching to Microsoft Dynamics is the right move for manufacturers.
An ERP solution such as Microsoft Dynamics AX is a critical differentiator for your manufacturing business.
Connected operations
Dynamics AX is literally built for change with operational excellence at its core. With all your operations connected in Dynamics AX, your manufacturing organization can focus on being responsive and innovative to remain competitive. Today's manufacturers must be able to get concepts to market faster while maintaining high-quality production. The open and flexible nature of Dynamics AX positions your organization to take advantage of current and future IT innovations and applications.
Demand forecasting
Manufacturing can be a seasonal industry. Plus, endless variables from natural disasters to new legislation can have enormous impacts on both your supply chain and demand itself. Dynamics lets you stay ahead of the curve and account for such incidents, with advanced Business Intelligence and forecasting models, as well as machine learning forecasts driven by the Azure cloud and the IoT.
Integration with the Microsoft stack
It's not just with infrastructure, Azure and Excel, either. Dynamics is at the . This ecosystem is only going to become more important in the years to come as manufacturers not only become more agile, but develop more software and applications for the Internet of Things, which according to one estimate could encompass 26.8 billion devices by 2020.
Intelligent Order Fulfillment
Supply and demand variables can be a constant threat to your ability to meet promised delivery dates to your customers. With global visibility of your inventory, manufacturing, and logistics, and role-tailored workspaces, your customer service representatives can proactively explore production, warehouse, and transportation options for your customers.
Straightforward implementation
Compared to alternatives from Oracle and SAP, . A study by Panorama Consulting comparing Dynamics AX and SAP R3 was , less expensive to maintain and required less customization, which can broaden project scope and implementation times.
Cloud Deployment
The option for makes the overall implementation and adoption affordable while modernizing your infrastructure for greater scalability and less maintenance strain on your IT department. Learn what's new in Dynamics AX and how it can make your manufacturing organization more agile and competitive.
If you have any questions about Dynamics AX for manufacturing or ERP evaluation, please feel free to . We're here to help.
By Turnkey Technologies, Inc. - Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics ERP and Dynamics CRM Partner of Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and North Texas.
